Lloyd Residence (Roblox)

 Developer: Chuck_Lloyd

Most games are games; that’s pretty obvious. You jump in, you play, and then you’re done. It’s a very straightforward process. The line between fiction and reality is clearly stated. Even if the game is about perception of reality, all blurred lines are mostly experienced by the in-game character; the user is aware that he or she is playing a game at all times.

“Lloyd Residence” is the first time where I’ve “finished” a game and came out just as clueless as when I first started. I can’t tell if it’s simply a genius marketing tactic, or if its story actually cuts into reality. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter, because either way, it’s a relatively engrossing experience.

This story takes place in and around a house. That house belongs to Chuck Lloyd (as is inferred from the title). Your job is pretty unclear from the game synopsis, which only offers one eerie sentence: “Welcome to our house, please make yourself at home.” The house is a small ranch, with one bedroom, and is flanked by a shed and cornfield.

Your journey starts on a walkway right outside the house. You are given no specific objectives to complete. In fact, nothing at first glance even insinuates there are any objectives to complete. You are free to explore the house at your leisure; it’s the locked basement door and shed that give you some clues on what to look for.

There are day and night cycles. Daytime is pretty boring. Nothing happens, although it does give you a clearer vision and greater chance to explore. Once night comes - provided you’re in a dark room - you’re visited by black, ghostly figures with glowing eyes. All they do is stare, only to disappear once someone gets too close. Clearly, something ain’t right with this place.

Don't worry. They're harmless.

I won’t bore you with a walkthrough of how to “beat” the game; there are many YouTube videos already dedicated to that. Actually, that statement comes with a caveat: Supposedly, it’s impossible to complete, in its entirety. Arguments abound as to why - some say Chuck simply never finished making the game. Others insist it was completed, but no one outside of a couple insiders know the codes required to get the full ending.

What I will bore you with is my experience of playing it. I found the shed key through another player, who disappeared a short while later (not as mysterious as it sounds; probably just left the game.) I trudged to the shed myself and ended up grabbing the shovel from there.

In the shed

At the same time, I stumbled on a different person in the same quandary as me. We both had shovels, but were we supposed to do with them? As if by serendipity, we bumped into another player. His name was Qupify. He told us to follow him, because he knew where to go. We both complied. With Qupify’s help, we completed the next task and ended up with a basement key. The player I partnered up with offered to get a map so that we could navigate the neverending labyrinth of Chuck’s basement, but Qupify confidently claimed he could lead us through without a map. Blindly, we followed him into the dark maze.

In the basement are five “checkpoints”. The checkpoints are statues, which you must “say” (via in-game chat) certain phrases to in order to proceed. To complete the game, all five checkpoints are needed. Supposedly, only three were ever actually programmed. Qupify got us as far as we could go, and then invited us to “meet” him in another game so that he could explain everything to us. We were both hesitant, but had no other leads, so we complied. (I honestly don’t remember any of the codes; he entered them all.)

Digging up the raven (which can't be done on mobile)

The experience he invited us to was called “Qupify’s Residence”. It was just a large, glorious mansion surrounded by forest. Qupify led us into the house, where he offered us some tea. The meeting had an odd aura about it; it was literally like being in the house of a casual acquaintance. He was outwardly friendly, but there was the unsettling feeling that things could go south at any time. It might only be a game, but there was something almost…personal about all of it.

Once we got settled in (my poor servermate had internet issues and had to leave and come back a couple of times), Qupify sat down and proceeded to explain the game’s lore. Chuck_Lloyd, creator of the game, was actually a man who went by Kazdam. Kazdam owned a group called “Roblox’s Myths”, where users tried to compile - and investigate - myths involving the gaming platform. “Lloyd Residence” was one of them, as Chuck was a part of the “Shadelight” myth. (I won’t bore you with details about this, or any other Roblox myth, because I still don’t even fully understand what they entail.)

Qupify's residence, where the story continued.

As it turns out, Kazdam was involved with grooming and harassing minors on Roblox. Once word spread that he was a pedophile, he was immediately kicked out of the group. The remaining members opted not to continue the group under the same name - which was stained with Kazdam’s “legacy” - so they started a new one, called “The Bureau of Myths.” As a result of Kazdam’s (aka “Chuck_Lloyd”) downfall, the “Lloyd Residence” game was never fully completed.

Qupify told us this calmly, as we slowly sipped our tea. At some point, the other guy left, so Qupify had me follow him to an underground bunker he had on his property. A red-headed girl sat inside the bunker, crying. She was chained to the wall. Qupify calmly made some comment to the girl, I think something about her dad owing him money, before shooting her in the head. Right in front of my eyes. I expected him to do the same to me, or for him to chain me up. Something. But he just matter-of-factly said he had somewhere else to be. With that, he disappeared from the server, leaving me all alone. 

I spent the next five or so minutes wandering around his property, but didn’t really know what I was doing there. So I left. Are there further clues there? Could the secrets of Lloyd’s residence be hidden inside the walls of that house? Or inside the bunker? I don’t know, and I probably wouldn’t be smart enough to figure anything out if the answer was inside.

The "basement", sight of a shocking scene.

“Lloyd Residence” is one of the few games - across any platform - that has left me with more questions than answers. And I’m not talking about in the typical way games use ambiguity to create an unnerving atmosphere. I’m talking in a way that almost breaks the fourth wall. Is this even a game? Is it really a myth game created by some ostracized pedophile? Is Kazdam even real? (The only stories I could find use his Roblox name; no real-life news stories involving him have been published.) Is the backstory real, or is it just part of an elaborate, well-made gimmick? Or is it all something that pretends to have substance that it doesn’t actually have?

And who in the hell is Qupify? A member of the “Roblox myth” community? An advanced bot? A “volunteer” who lingers around the game and does this regularly? Is this part of the actual experience? Are there other players like this that exist? Or did I just get incredibly lucky to find him? Was I even lucky? 

I still don’t know the answer to any of those questions. I’m still not sure the point of it. And after playing through as far as I care to play, I probably never will. But whatever the case may be, there’s no denying this was a visceral experience. It affected me in a way very few games have. It blurred the line between fiction and reality so well that I didn’t -don’t - know what to believe. It left me shocked and shaken; fascinated and repulsed. And it’s an experience I won’t soon forget.

Overall: 7/10.

TRAILER

It's fan-made, and kind of overlong, but it doesn't reveal much and gets the point across.

Christmas Movie Magic (2021)

Director: Robert Vaughn
Writer(s): Rickie Castaneda, from a story by James S. Blakeman and Caitlin English
Starring: Holly Deveaux, Drew Seeley, Jill Frappier and Jennifer Gibson

The first holiday movie of the season more or less sets the tone for all the rest that follow. If we get a bad one, then it’s a case of “bah-humbug” and that negativity follows into the next viewing. And the next. Until one of them finally breaks the cycle by being “good”. Last year we saw an unprecedented number of above-average Christmas rom-coms.

This year hasn’t gotten off to such a good start.

Actually Christmas Movie Magic does get off to a decent start. A man encounters a woman walking her pig in the middle of the street. Through some cheeky dialogue, the two seem to hit it off instantly. But we can tell from the intentionally stilted acting (even for this type of movie) that it’s not from this time period. Alas, it is not: This love story is actually a movie from the 1950s.

I was hoping the entire movie would be done in this style. It probably would have gotten a little tiresome, but at least it would have been unique. Unfortunately, the “movie-within-a-movie” is only glimpsed occasionally after the intro, despite playing an annoyingly protracted part in the main movie itself.

Alli is an entertainment writer hoping to earn a promotion to the news team. Of course, she thinks her talents are being underutilized, and wants a chance to prove herself. Her boss offers her the chance to do just that - provided she write an article about Christmas With You, that ‘50s movie we caught a glimpse of earlier. Starring Walter Andrews - Hollywood’s heartthrob of the time - it seems the movie had such a profound impact on the city it was filmed in, that it continues even today.

That city is White Falls. And that movie seems to have had no greater impact on anyone, than a man named Brad Westdale who, of course, is Alli’s age. This man is a walking encyclopedia of the movie - in fact, it’s all he fucking talks about. It’s “Christmas With You” this, and “Christmas With You” that. Sure, his history has something to do with it - his grandpa and grandma’s movie theater was the site of the film’s premiere - but come on, Brad, it’s been 65 years. You weren’t around, and only heard the stories through a third party, even if that third party was your grandparents. Seriously, his fascination with it veers into pure obsession.

There is some boring “mystery” involving a famous song that Walter wrote for the movie, which was inspired by a secret lover he had on set. Alli and Brad’s drive to solve that mystery forms the binding agent that brings the two would-be lovers together. (Is it a spoiler alert to reveal that the two leads get together in the end?) It’s rather yawn-inducing.

Christmas Movie Magic does have one welcome change: Alli and Brad never “hate” each other. There always seems to be friction between the two leads in the beginning, which slowly becomes admiration. Here, Alli seems to be intrigued by Brad from the outset, as curious as it is. I would think most women would be put off by a man whose only knowledgeable topic is an old romance movie, but what do I know?

There are also some other strengths: Holly Deveaux is attractive - and adept - as the lead, which helps to give an air of believability to the budding romance. (Brad, on the other hand, comes off as doofy, but I think that has more to do with the script.) The flashbacks to the “classic” movie that forms the backdrop to the modern tale is also done with an impressive level of detail. Even the central song - though it’s not the least bit catchy - does sound like it was recorded in the ‘50s.

Maybe it got us in the wrong mood. After all, reviews of this are above-average across the board (including a positive write-up in the Wall Street Journal, of all places). But Brad’s relentless, grating obsession with a movie that premiered 65 years ago was enough to sink it for us. Add in the final musical number, which takes place in the present day and feels woefully out of place - and a complete lack of chemistry between the two leads - and you have the perfect recipe for holiday drowsiness.

STRAY OBSERVATIONS

• As out-of-left-field and laughable as its placement is, I must admit the final musical number is actually well-done, thanks to some competent choreography.

• How in the hell has no one seen Walter’s revelatory identity of his real-life love interest prior to this? It’s spelled out and written in huge fucking letters!

• This movie might have actually been helped out by some initial friction, as Alli’s skepticism is never enough to challenge Brad and his annoyingly saccharine vision of life.

• It took me a Herculean effort just to make it through without falling asleep.

• It's telling when the two leads can't muster up more than an unemotional peck for their first kiss.

RATING: 3/10

TRAILER

Intrusion (Demo) (Roblox)

Finding under-the-radar games on Roblox is pretty hard. The main page offers up the same games every single day, and most are derivative works that all copy off one another. For example, the “one-person-gets-picked-as-bad-guy-and-everyone-else-must-try-to-survive”, which seems to be a staple of the platform.

Somehow, my search took me to “Intrusion”, a demo for a forthcoming full-length game*.

The beginning finds you inside an elevator. You’re making your way to your apartment after an exhausting day at work. Unfortunately, you can’t just lay down and relax - you’ve got some work to do. You’re moving tomorrow, and must pack up your belongings in order to prepare for the move. But things don’t seem right. The lights to the apartment building go out midway through. It’s an easy fix, but still…why did they do that?

I'm a sucker for games with credit sequences.

Day two is moving day. You unpack boxes from a moving truck, and once again go to sleep. But this time, rudely awakened from your slumber. Wait, you’re in the bed of your own apartment building! And there seems to be something on the loose, willing to do whatever it takes to kill you.

I'm going to just get right to it: The demo is frustrating. Every time you die you have to start all over from the beginning. There is no “skip” option for the “boring” scenes before the monster arrives. The developers have stated this will be changed in the full version, but it’s more than a minor inconvenience in the meantime. It’s not like it takes all that long to replay it up to the first monster encounter - probably around 5 minutes. It's just the principle of it. It's redundant, it's boring, and it's highly unnecessary. The developers are aware of it and have changed the system for "A World Below", which is the title of the full game. But the introduction (which is a separate game and the focus of this review) still can't be skipped. Honestly, it’s one of those little things that can alienate would-be players, myself included.

I get that they're trying to prepare you for the game, and set up the story, but come on...there's got to be a better way. It could be as simple as skippable cutscenes. I just don't understand the need for something so frustrating to be a necessary learning mechanic.

I've had the pleasure of stacking every one of these boxes five times now.

This issue is magnified because you will more than likely die at least once. You are given no warning when the first monster attacks. One night, you go to sleep and then suddenly awake in a panic with “Get Out” being the only objective. I frantically paced in the room looking for clues. What was I even escaping? The room, or…before I could even piece it together, I was killed by a monster who had forced its way in. Tips for escaping the creature that killed you are given on the death screen, which is eerily similar to “Doors”, on down to the design. But in order to put those tips to use, you must trudge through the introductory sequence again. And, in my case, continue to die over and over. (For the record, you have to make it to the elevator you started in at the beginning of the game.)

The graphics are actually pretty solid, and that’s with my graphics settings only halfway up. (My laptop is clearly not a gaming computer, and would lag horribly if increased). I would highly doubt it would run well on mobile devices, but I haven’t tested this theory. The atmosphere is also fairly creepy, thanks to its use of “liminal space”. Having a multi-floor apartment building as the main setting is a smart choice, as the lack of other characters gives it that eerie, abandoned vibe. Why is no one else alarmed when the lights go out? Hell, where is everybody?

I guess I’m probably not the most reliable critic to review this game. I still haven’t beaten it, and this is just a short introduction. But at the same time, it’s still enough to understand what the game is going for. I’m actually hugely disappointed in the “Doors”-style approach, which has already been completely overdone. Whatever happened to just having one monster to worry about? Why do you need so many more? More specifically, why does this game need any more? (And, for the record, I love “Doors”.)

In short, I didn’t know what to expect going in. I figured it was just a “creature breaks into your house” kind of game, based on the title and vibe I got. Instead, it seems to be another “avoid multiple monsters” kind of thing, which isn’t what I was looking for. To be fair, it does seem to have a story, and a much more horror-driven atmosphere than “Doors”. But, for me, it's still a little too similar to other Roblox horror titles to really make much of an impact. 

OVERALL: 4.5/10.

*The game has been released, under the name “Intrusion: A World Below”. I tried playing the full game, and like the synopsis warns, I was completely lost. I will update this review as soon as I actually make it through the introduction.

**Apparently, this game is going to be overhauled already, thanks to community feedback. According to the developer, pretty much the whole thing will be changed. I didn’t see specific comments to know what the “issue” was, or to see what direction it’s going to head in. But I’ll be interested in seeing what the future holds.

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The Mirror (Roblox)

Developer: Egroce

The game's logo, or whatever.

 

Roblox is rife with all types of horror games, as you’re seeing here (if you didn’t already know). A lot of them are carbon copies of one another: For every popular game, there are roughly a hundred inferior clones. That’s just the nature of a platform where anyone can make a game, and many are just trying to make a buck.

Thankfully, there are also a ton of innovative, unique takes on the horror genre. They don’t always hit the mark - many Roblox experiences are created by a handful of people, on down to just one - but many of them at least manage to be interesting, if nothing else.

Gameplay is pretty straightforward.

Enter The Mirror, a game developed by a user known as Egroce. Actually “game” might be a little too strict a title, with the game’s warning screen explaining that it’s more a cinematic story than an actual game. It even goes on to say that some may find it “boring”. Clearly this isn’t going to be for everyone.

You start off in a small, well-lit room. Inside is a mirror, a lever, a paper affixed to the wall, and a door. In case you’re lost, the paper explains everything. Basically, turn off the light, and stare into the mirror. If things get too uncomfortable, you can turn the light back on at any time. That’s it, because that’s all there is to do.

Of course, if this was all that happened, “boring” wouldn’t even begin to describe it. Slowly, weird things start happening. And they only get weirder the longer the “experiment” goes on. A few seconds in, the door behind you opens…or does it? Your face starts shifting, getting more and more distorted. Until…

He seems pretty happy...

The scariest thing about all this is that it’s based on an actual medical phenomenon. I thought it would have some cool name attached to it, like “mirror psychosis”, or something, but it doesn’t. It’s known only as “mirror gazing”, which can also have positive connotations as a form of meditation. Clearly, this experience isn’t about the “self-help” kind. In a published study - the first of its kind - “healthy” and depressed patients both spent 7 minutes in a lightly-lit room staring at themselves in a mirror. A whopping 66% reported facial distortion, while others experienced a range of other visualizations, including seeing the face of a relative, or even an animal. (More curious/frightening: The “depressed” patients actually reported less severe distortions and hallucinations.)

I’m a little torn here. The game has made many lists of “scariest horror games on Roblox”, which is how it garnered my attention. But just how effective can a three-minute game with virtually no replayability actually be? I’ll admit it does create a pretty unnerving atmosphere - mainly thanks to excellent sound design. The fact it’s based on a real medical phenomenon only adds to that. 

Uh oh...

But, perhaps unfairly, being a creation of Roblox does it no favors. The square-ish “noob” shaped characters - a staple of the platform - come off as rather silly, no matter how you try to mask it. Its decision to use the player’s avatar also potentially leads to reduced effectiveness. I’ve seen some pretty crazy-looking characters, thanks to the endless customization options available to players. If you’re dressed as a cat, or a closet (something I’ve literally seen), or a fruit, then how can it be creepy to stare at yourself for three minutes? Ditto if you have a smile, or other weird facial pose: It doesn't change no matter how eerie things get. 

I would suggest using just a standard, plain-looking “male” or “female” template. One that looks like a normal human. This could cut back on the distractions that could potentially curb its effectiveness. On the flipside, I guess using the player’s avatar might make it feel more “personal” for the player, which could potentially increase its impact. 

A "termination log" rounds out the experience.

At any rate, “The Mirror” certainly does the best it can with its limited resources. It’s a unique idea executed with a clear vision. The fact it was made by one person makes it even more impressive. Its limited scope and replayability might force it into a more “niche” category of Robloxian horror, but it’s worth checking out for fans of the genre.

Overall: 6/10.

NOTE: There isn't an official trailer. It makes sense, considering the game lasts only a short while longer than the average preview, and it would basically give everything away.